Ferris Wheels
by lilybirds
Summary: There she is – Teresa Lisbon. In a ferris wheel. With the always-smiling Patrick Jane. And she's absolutely frame-freezingly heart-stoppingly terrified of heights.


**This was a challenge from LaPaige. Check her out, her writing is amazing.**

Sometimes she really questions her sanity, wonders if – possibly – his silliness is contagious and has infected her when her back was turned. Because there she is – Teresa Lisbon. In a ferris wheel. With the always-smiling Patrick Jane. And she's absolutely _frame-freezingly heart-stoppingly_ terrified of heights.

Thinking back, she can't even remember why she agreed to go with him in the first place. Though it probably had something to do with a certain consultant's excited puppy dog eyes – because he's aware she can't resist and he uses that fact every _single _time.

She knows the minute this scrawny-looking teenager locks her in one of the unstable passenger cars with _Patrick Jane_ of all people, she's made the wrong choice. And when the same kid reaches over and presses a _red_ button, she knows she's in trouble. After all, red buttons have always been a bad sign, so why should they mean _'this is going to be the best time of your life'_ now?

As she starts composing her will as quick as she can (even though she knows it's really no use, since she'll probably die before she even has the chance to write something down –), she cautiously looks over at Jane, conveniently (and sure as hell not coincidentally) seated next to her as close as law-appropriate. Lucky for her, he's eyeing the growing distance between the ground (oh sweet lord, she misses the ground) and their seats and doesn't seem to care about her _perfectly rational_ fear.

She almost sighs with relief when she realizes this and thinks that, maybe as long as he doesn't turn around and she just keeps her head down – the situation may just be liveable and she doesn't have anyth-

"Don't you just love heights, Lisbon?" Of course his perky voice interrupts her trail of thoughts and she freezes, her face already twisting in a horrified grimace. "Love 'em," she says, half-heartedly and Jane merely '_mhm_'s, not turning away from the view.

She steals a glance around him, because maybe it's not that bad and maybe it's – _holy shit it's high._ She coils back into her seat and closes her eyes, tightly, counting to ten (one Mississippi, two Mississippi…).

"So tell me, why're you so scared of them?"

Of course, after re-starting her heart – and being the cool agent she is, she denies. "_Scared_? I'm not scared, where on _Earth_ did you get that _idiotic_ idea from?" She almost tends towards a hopeless ramble about being a fearless CBI agent but stops herself, because really – it's Jane. There's no use.

He seems to pause and then turns around to finally face her (she struggles to keep the blush down, since it really _is_ Jane). "Well," he tells her, simply grinning in the careless matter she loves but _hates _so much. "Apart from the fact that you haven't taken a look at the view outside our capsules yet – you've been hysterically humming 'Hey Jude' under your breath ever since we took off," She flushes. "and last but not least," Jane takes a deep triumphant breath before grinning again. "you look like you might die if we go any higher."

She has got no idea how to explain the 'Hey Jude'-thing apart from the dumb 'it's a catchy song' so she decides on a dignified 'well, you suck!', but before she even has the opportunity to open her mouth – the ferris wheel pulls to a stop and every carriage lurches forward, slightly – she only squeaks and Jane's grin widens, victoriously.

Of course this changes things. Not only does she realize that she's _really _stuck in a ferris wheel. She's stuck in a ferris wheel with Patrick Jane (and his damned toothy grin). She will either die from getting splashed to death or from embarrassment. Jane will never let this go.

"You were saying?" He wonders, cooing a little and she tries to glare, but she knows it really is no use, because Patrick Jane likes her glare (even though she's aware he likes her smiles more) and she rarely ever intimidates him. "Fine," she ends up barking. "I don't like heights."

He eyes her, sceptically and she sighs, crossing her arms in aggravation. "Fine! I'm a _little _scared of heights." He throws one last pointed look at her and then – "_Fine! I am __**terrified**__ of heights._" Once she admits it, his eyes light up and he winds an arm around her shoulders, grinning happily while she once again fights the blush – but then, she realizes, the carriage is pulling to a stop and she finds they're back on the ground. "Seems our fun is over, Lisbon dear." Jane states and while she follows him out, shakily, his grin doesn't slip. "Perhaps next time you can join me in the Boats Of Love."

Not five minutes later, she whacks him, fondly, after finding he planned the whole thing, (she still doesn't get why she's so surprised) but he just laughs and drags her with him into the rest of the theme park.

And while they go and find the rest of the team (Cho in the rollercoaster with his pokerface on every single action picture taken and Van Pelt and Rigsby mysteriously vanished into the Horror House Of Horrific Horrors -), she can't help but think of that boat ride Jane promised her – her fear of heights long forgotten. 


End file.
